Rental Guide

Renting can be complicated and often overwhelming, but we are here to help you to find a suitable property as well as to guide you through every step of your rental journey. The information below will help you to better understand the renting process in more detail.

01
Things to take into consideration:
- Your rental budget.
- The bills you must pay on top of the rent (electricity, council tax, water, gas, internet, TV license).
- The deposit, which is usually the equivalent of 5 to 6 weeks rent.
- Tenancy period (6, 12 or even 24 months).
- Available transport links for your commute to work, university and weekend activities.
- Local amenities.

It is useful to know that if the advertised rental price is stated per week, the monthly rent is calculated as follows:

Weekly rent x 52 weeks and then divided by 12 months. For example, weekly rent of £500 per week times 52 weeks and then decided by 12 months equals to £2166.67 per calendar month.
02
Finding property and making an offer
Once you have set your price range and decided on your priorities, we will go through the selection of properties and present you with the best options that meet your needs. We will accompany you on all viewings and will do our best to answer all the questions you may have.

Some useful questions for you to ask at the time of the viewing:
- What bills will I have to pay in addition to the rent?
- Which scheme will my deposit will be registered with?
- Who is managing the property?
- What furniture and other items are included within the property?

When you are ready to make an offer, we will submit your offer on your behalf to the landlord.

Once your offer is accepted by the landlord, you will be asked to pay a Holding Deposit equivalent of 1 weeks rent as confirmation of your intent to proceed with the proposed tenancy. Any offer you make on a property will be subject to satisfactory references, a signed tenancy agreement, the clearance of funds and vacant possession.

Once the holding deposit is received, the property may be taken off the market and you and the landlord have a maximum of 15 days to complete and sign all tenancy paperwork.

If by the end of these 15 days you haven’t completed the tenancy, the landlord can withdraw from the tenancy and/or start remarketing the property. The landlord can also retain your holding deposit at this point. An extension can also be granted to complete the tenancy between you and the landlord.

If the tenancy goes ahead, the holding deposit that you paid will be put towards your first rent unless a different agreement is reached.

However, if you decide to withdraw from the tenancy for any reason or the tenancy cannot proceed because of these reasons listed below, your holding deposit may not be refunded to you.

- Your application includes false or misleading information, which would affect the landlord’s decision to rent their property to you, unless you can prove that it was given in error.
- You change your mind about going ahead with the tenancy and withdraw your application.
- You cause any delays to the tenancy being completed.
- You fail Right to Rent checks.

We will advise the person who paid the deposit within seven days of the holding deposit expiring to let them know the reasons it will not be returned.

OR:
We will refund the holding deposit in full to the person who made the payment within seven days of the date if the landlord decides not to go ahead.
03
Referencing and ID Check
We use an independent referencing agency to carry out reference checks on our behalf and you will be required to complete an application form.
You will be asked to provide us with your identification documents (passport or driving licence) and proof of address (a utility bill or bank statement dated within the last 3 months). As of 1 February 2016, the landlord or the agent is obliged to carry out Right to Rent checks, which is a statutory requirement for anyone renting in the UK.

If you are a citizen of the UK - your passport is confirmation of your Right to Rent.
If you are a citizen of any other country - you will be asked to provide proof of your settlement status/valid visa or biometric card.

The referencing agent will use the following calculation to check your affordability:
Monthly rent x 30. For example, £2500 per calendar month rent x 30 means your income needs to be £75,000 gross per year.

In the event financial affordability is not met, there are other options, such as paying some or all the rent in advance or providing a guarantor and so on.

If you provide any false or misleading information (that is not given in error) or deliberately do not share certain information that can affect the landlord’s decision, the landlord can decide they no longer wish to let their property to you. This would include information about late rent payments, declaration of your income being too high, incorrect employment information etc.

You must also disclose in advance of the referencing process if you had in the past or currently have a County Court Judgement (CCJ) served against you or any current Voluntary Agreements (IVA or CVA) as this may affect your reference application decision.
04
Signing Tenancy Agreement
We will prepare a tenancy agreement that will be sent for your review and approval. This is a legally binding contract that will define the rent payable, duration of the tenancy, your responsibilities and rights, the landlord's responsibilities and the scheme under which your damage deposit will be held.

If you need further advice, you should contact a solicitor or an advice bureau. Sample of the tenancy agreement is available upon the request or will be sent to you at the time of the offer confirmation.
05
Move in Funds
You will be required to pay a security deposit equivalent to 5 or 6 weeks of rent (5 weeks if annual rent is less than £50,000 or 6 weeks if annual rent is over £50,000) and first period rent prior to the tenancy start date. The holding deposit that you pay will deducted from your first period of rent.
06
Inventory and Moving in
On the day the tenancy starts, we will arrange for an inventory to be completed and a schedule of condition to be prepared by an independent inventory clerk. The report will be given to you for your review and approval. The inventory check-out will be arranged at the end of the tenancy. This is one of the most important documents in the renting process and can be key in deciding how much of your deposit is returned at the end of your tenancy.

Once the inventory check in is complete, subject to signed tenancy agreement, satisfactory references and cleared funds, you will be given the keys to the property.

Although we will notify all utility providers and local council authority of this new tenancy, it is the tenant’s responsibility to contact all relevant utility suppliers and local council authority to set up accounts in their own names.

For further information please refer to the Government 'How to Rent Guide' or seek independent advice from the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

Crown Home Letting Limited is a member of the following: Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS), Property Redress Scheme (PRS), ARLA
Letting Charges (All incl.VAT)
----- ASSURED SHORTHOLD TENANCY (AST) -----
.
Security Deposit
5 weeks' rent
First period rent
Paid in advance
Early termination
All costs, fees and charges incurred by early termination including the agent's fees
Late Rent
Interest charged at 3% above Bank of England base rate, when rent is more than 14 days late
Changing the tenancy document
£50 (after the commencement of the tenancy)
Lost keys, fobs or security devices
Any incurred cost for the replacement
Change of sharer
Up to £50 for 1 reference, or any reasonable costs incurred if higher than £50
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Payable on tenancies where the rent exceeds £125,000
----- NON-HOUSING ACT TENANCIES -----
.
Holding Deposit
Equivalent to 1 week's rent
Security Deposit
Equivalent to 6 week's rent
First period rent
Paid in advance
Tenancy Paperwork
£240
Reference (individual)
£54
Reference checks (companies)
£54
Early termination
All costs, fees and charges incurred by early termination including the agent's fees
Late Rent
Interest charged at 3% above Bank of England base rate, when rent is more than 14 days late
Changing the tenancy documents
£50 (after the commencement of the tenancy)
Change of sharer
Up to £50 for 1 reference, or any reasonable costs incurred if higher than £50
Lost keys, fobs or security devices
Any incurred cost for the replacement
Stamp Duty Land Tax
Payable on tenancies where the rent exceeds £125,000
Tenancy Renewal Paperwork
£120
The Imperial / Penthouse
£4,950,000+
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